Apple's big AirPods 5 launch event might be over, but its most anticipated headphones may well arrive later this month

The Beats 360 are looking incredibly close to launch

by · TechRadar

News By Tom Bedford Published 10 September 2026

(Image credit: Beats)

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  • Evidence points to Beats 360 coming later in September
  • That's despite Beats' owner, Apple, having just hosted a big launch event
  • We now know a lot about these new headphones too…

While the AirPods 5 upgrades offer you the best features of the AirPods Pro, they were small consolation at an Apple Event in which people were hoping for more sweeping audio upgrades. No AirPods with cameras, no HomePods upgrade despite teases, and no new Beats headphones.

However, that latter point could be addressed later in the month. How come? because according to MacRumors, Apple just released a firmware update for the Beats 360 headphones. Yes, that same pair of Beats 360 headphones we've been hearing rumors about for months, but that have yet to be officially announced.

Why is Apple updating headphones that don't exist? Well, bear in mind we've been seeing them for months, as Apple gave them to multiple soccer World Cup players to show off during the tournament. Celebrity sportspeople need their tech updating too, after all.

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There's no indication of what this update does, and it doesn't really matter. It's all about what this update suggests.

A Beats 360 release date just around the corner?

Because of this recent software update, many now think that the Beats 360 are due to be unveiled at some point in September.

While Apple already has just had its big product unveiling event of the year (on September 9, around 14 hours ago at the time of writing), that doesn't rule out new Beats devices. Apple generally lets its Beats sub-brand operate independently.

In fact, it would've been pretty bizarre if we had seen the Beats 360 shown off at the Apple event, for this fact.

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